Modern Romance
by Redundant Girl
Summary: Ashley's just a girl trying to get by and do the best she can, juggling school and family and secrets that threaten the small sense of normalcy in her life. Spashley. AU


_**Summary:** Ashley's just a girl trying to get by and do the best she can, juggling school and family and secrets that threaten the small sense of normalcy in her life. When she finds someone special, someone unexpected, will she look past superficial desires and recognize love when she sees it?_

_**Author's Note: **The story is AU, but some minor aspects will mirror the show. _

_**Disclaimer:** The show does not belong to me, but to Tom Lynch and The-N._

_**Rating:** PG-13 (Rating may later change)_

**Modern Romance**

**Chapter 1 – A beat, a pulse, a moment of freedom.**

The music pulsed and breathed through the air, touching skin slick with sweat and heat, lingering and tasting it all. Bodies pounded out a beat of a different kind, of feet on a concrete floor, of skin sliding against skin. The girl stood and took it all in, absorbed it through her skin, her eyes and her ears. She could feel it, could even taste it and before long she was drowning in it as she closed her eyes and moved to it all.

Her body stood swaying gently at first, like a river it ran with a slow gentle ease, until the pounding in her ears and the heat in the air intensified. Then it was a raging waterfall as she, in tune with all the other bodies around her, jumped up and down to this new violence in the air. For an hour, maybe longer even, she lost herself in the ever changing beat of the music, from fast to slow to fast again, her feet helping to shake and shape the world in the only way she could.

When her body was bathed in glistening sweat and her muscles ached in that particular way that she _so_ loved, she made her way breathlessly to the bar in need of a drink. Her breath was still short, her lungs still burning with strain when she finally caught the barman's eye. Her order placed she waited for her drink to be made, shivering when a cool hand slipped up the back of her shirt and breath touched her ear.

"I watched you out there tonight, you know what it does to me when you dance like that..."

The voice was soft and low and tickled down her spine, curling low into her belly and radiating warmth from that one central point outwards. She let out a slow breath before turning to the source of her torture, her desire. She let her eyes drift with slow ease over the features in front of her, never resting on one spot for more than a second or two as she took in the ripe mouth, the mossy green eyes that snatched her breath so effortlessly away. It took her seconds more after that to suck in a breath, to make her heart beat in a somewhat more regular pattern.

"If watching me dance affects you so much, maybe you should just stop looking altogether." She signaled the bartender then, changing her drinks order from one glass to two. She figured she would need it. "So where's the rest of your groupies and that hulk of dense meat you call a boyfriend?"

Her voice, she was thankful for this small victory, did not shake once with either desire or anger as she spoke. Because yes, she was absolutely feeling both those emotions at that exact moment in time. These days she was _always_ feeling either one or both of those feelings it would seem. The green eyes before her shut for a moment as a weary sigh escaped those full, sensuous lips before rapidly shooting open again, focusing on her with pleading clearly visible.

"We've talked about this, hell, you agreed we weren't ready for this to go public yet. Now every time I keep up appearances you bite my head off! How's that fair, Ashley?"

Ashley for her part felt the anger bubble up inside her again, overriding the previous flash of desire, but this time the anger was directed at herself as she let her own brown gaze drop away. She _had _agreed to keep things quiet and she knew it wasn't fair to let her petty jealousy leak out like that.

"Sorry, Mads, I didn't mean that and I didn't mean to start this conversation here of all places."

She glanced around her, at the crowds crushed in close to them and the many eyes that were watching them, before meeting Madison's eyes again. Ashley smiled then, the sexy smirk she mostly only ever gave to Madison and got a wide, relieved smile in return.

"That's okay, babe, I get it. I mean it's not easy for me either, you know that right? Anyway, are you gonna stand here all night or are you coming to the table with me? You sometimes forget that those groupies are your friends too, you know!"

In actual fact one of those groupies was her cousin and best friend, so she smiled and nodded her head yes as she turned around to collect and pay for her drinks. They would have the fight, because they inevitably _always_ had the fight, later or when they were alone. For now it would have to wait.

So it was that she walked balancing her two drinks precariously as Madison held her elbow, pushing her along and through the crowd and up the stairs towards the table where everyone, including the dense piece of meat Ashley so despised, were waiting. Before they even reached the table thought, the previously mentioned meat head turned and grabbed Madison around the waist, effectively pulling her into his lap. He turned then and gave Ashley a friendly smile, finally nuzzling his face into the crook of Madison's neck and giggling as her hair tickled his nose.

Ashley felt anger wash over her, bathing her already heat tinted skin a darker shade, as she took one last glance at Glen Carlin's head buried now almost in Madison's breasts. She resolutely threw her head back and swallowed her fist vodka down, wanting to hiss as it coolly slipped down her throat and mixed with the fury churning in her stomach. She didn't though, instead she turned towards the table and ignored Madison's eyes on her as she smiled at her dark haired cousin.

"Hey slut, how's it going tonight, spot any potential victims yet?"

Her cousin, Kyla, gave her an almost feral smile, her dark brow cocking up in what could only be described as pure wickedness.

"Oooooh, you're in a _spunky_ mood tonight! Two insults within your very first sentence? Really cousin, your bitchiness stings me sometimes. That grouchiness you're feeling babe, that's what happens when you never get laid. At least me, little old _slutty_ me, I'm never grouchy."

Ashley thoughtfully looked her over, a feral smile unconsciously forming on her own lips, before she nodded her head in agreement.

"No, I suppose you're never grouchy then, but you sure can get catty. Anyway, back to my original question, any victims in sight?"

Ashley loved her cousin and knew it was most definitely a two way street. They had grown up together, going through middle and high school in almost all the same classes and never living more than a few blocks apart. Everyone knew by now that they were a package deal, if you wanted to know the one you would inevitable know the other too.

For all their bickering and insults, they never let anything come between them. People were often struck by the fact that despite the apparent differences, how they looked and acted being so opposite of the other, they were very much the same if you dug deep enough. Both were ferociously smart, loyal and had an almost scary intensity when they applied themselves to something.

While Ashley applied herself to her studies, to her books and equations and logic, Kyla applied herself to boys and her cheerleading, preferably in that order as well. So it wasn't much of a surprise to Ashley when her cousin extended one dainty finger and pointed towards a lanky boy leaning casually against a smoke filled corner.

"See the guy with the leather jacket and that come-fuck-me smile? Well that's my prey for the evening."

Kyla seemed so pleased with her own choice that Ashley expected her to give a little happy growl, but her cousin just gave her an impish, satisfied smile. Ashley couldn't help but grin back as she shook her head.

"God, Kyla, your mom would have a heart attack if she knew about even half the shit you got up to on any given weekend!"

Kyla shrugged carelessly and nodded her head, not at all bothered about what her mother would or wouldn't do if she bothered to find out what her daughter did to pass the time.

"Yeah well, someone has to keep up the Davies reputation of drunken debauchery and I don't see you stepping up anytime soon! God, Ashley, you're the only person I know that would prefer spending the night in with Jane Austen rather than partying with hottie Brad Pitt look-a-likes."

Ashley couldn't help but smirk at the oh so accurate description, internally agreeing that if she could have her pick of some watered down version of Brad Pitt or Jane Austen, well at least the beautiful actress that played her, then good old Jane would win every time.

"Hmmm, maybe, but I'm here tonight so shut up. And while you're going with the whole shutting up thing, why don't you scoot up so I can sit down too?"

Kyla complied with an extravagant eye roll and Ashley smoothly slid into the booth seat, leaning her head back against it's sticky plastic covering and releasing a silent sigh. She let the vodka, the voices and the music in the background all settle inside her, her eyes drifting shut for a moment as she felt the day, actually the whole week, weigh down on her. She was stressed about midterms that was fast approaching and her mother's voice in her head continually ranting about Harvard, Yale and any other name of a good school she could think of.

She thought she should be used to the pressure by now, and mostly she was and dealt with it as it came, but tonight had been the end of a very long week and she was seriously feeling it. Out on the dance floor she had pounded it out of herself for an hour or so and it had felt great. Dancing was one of the few releases she allowed herself and tonight she had desperately needed it, her mind grateful for the distraction and her body invigorated by the energy she had felt all around her.

She consciously straightened her shoulders then and opened her eyes, shifting all her worries away for the night. She gave Madison a small smile when she caught the girls eye and pushed down the guilt of almost starting a fight in the middle of a very crowded club. She prided herself on her self constraint, her ability to keep things under control, things like her jealousy. Usually she kept a very cool head around Madison and Glen, even when Glen insisted on kissing Madison in full view of everyone, or when he simply touched her in that intimate way that spoke of quiet possession.

Yet lately she could feel that constraint slipping and the almost argument of that evening had not been the first of it's kind.

Which was why she felt guilty, because she had been more than happy to keep things quiet between them, not wanting to deal with the fallout that their relationship would have at school as well as at home. Ashley was simply under enough stress as it was. So she decided to ignore Madison and Glen, to not let their public displays of affection affect her in the usual chest constricting fashion. Yet that resolution lasted about all of five seconds.

Glen leaned forward and whispered something into Madison's ear, his lips brushing softly against her skin and making a small giggle escape her lips. As if on cue Ashley's chest thudded painfully and her gut clenched, warmth spreading over her cheeks and flushing her face. So blocking it out didn't work, so the only other thing she could think of was to simply not have to sit there and watch them. It was flight or fight.

She tore her gaze away from the _sickeningly_ 'happy couple' and turned to her cousin.

"Hey, you wanna dance?"

Kyla barely half turned Ashley's way, her eyes still firmly set on Mr Fuck-me smile, when she answered.

"Um...no. I've got more important activities planned than dancing, babe. Sorry!"

Ashley simply rolled her eyes and moved onto the next person at the table, pretty intent on distraction in any way, shape or from.

Her eyes landed on Glen's sister, Spencer, who was only a year younger than they were, sitting quietly in the corner with a far off expression in her gray eyes. As much as Ashley hated Glen, she rather liked his pensive sister. There was something so harmless about her, the girl with her timid smile and unassuming nature, it set you at ease with her.

"What about you, Spencer. Wanna dance with me?"

Ashley kept her voice soft, always somewhat irrationally afraid that she'd somehow startle the girl if she spoke to loudly. Spencer for her part turned her steady gray gaze on Ashley and gave a slow, easy smile.

"I'm not the best dancer, you know? Last time I attempted it I almost knocked some guy next to me unconscious."

The soft sparkle of humor in her eyes told Ashley that Spencer was not that bad of a dancer, but she knew the girl was a little shy and self conscious. It could not have been easy for her, not when she had to live in Glen 'Big Bird' Carlin's shadow all her life. The guy was a moron, but he was a _popular_ moron, and that made all the difference in the world.

"That's okay, I've got god reflexes, I see an elbow coming my way I'll duck. You don't have to be a cheerleader or a hotshot athlete to know when to duck."

Ashley added that just to let the girl know that she too still felt like an insider with their group. Everyone else who hung out at that table was either a jock or a cheerleader, all save for herself and Spencer. Not that anyone in their group would ever go out of their way to make them feel uncomfortable or unwelcome, but they knew they were only let into the little inner circle because of who they were related to. Ashley had made peace with that a long time, not really craving popularity anyway and just happy to hang out with her cousin and Madison, but she knew that Spencer wasn't all that comfortable with the set up. Thing is she didn't have much choice in the matter.

Glen Carlin wouldn't let his sister hang with the math geeks, it would reflect badly on him, and wouldn't as her _caring_ brother let her sit alone in the library, so she was part of the group whether she liked it or not. Ashley guessed it was easier in the end for Spencer to just go along with it, rather than rocking the boat.

"Hmm...when you put it that way, I guess I could dance."

The simple answer was accompanied by another small smile and Ashley got the feeling Spencer was pretty happy to make her escape as she immediately stood up and made her way out of the booth. Ashley followed, ignoring Madison's eyes on her back, and gave Spencer a friendly smile. She was glad that the music was too loud to do much talking, because despite liking the girl well enough, she hadn't really ever spent much one on one time with her.

All those thoughts, ones about Madison and school and not really knowing the sweet girl in front of her, disappeared when they hit the dance floor. Once again she felt the music, the rhythm of a hundred bodies pressed firmly together and moving in perfect synergy settle over her and smiled. She lost herself a little then, the only thing managing to ground a small part of her the gray eyes locked onto hers as both she and Spencer succumbed to the pulse and throb of music.

Above them Madison followed their fluid motions, anger and jealousy unbridled in her eyes. She didn't like what she saw, and Madison? She wasn't the kind of girl to stand by and just do nothing about a thing like that.

_End Chapter_

_Continue, yes or no?_


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